“Our brothers and sisters of the Philippines are asking the world for assistance,” Hans said. “Regardless of where disasters happen, I think the medical community needs to support people on the front lines.”

Upstate’s Center For Civic Engagement has collected more than $600 from medical students who responded to Hans’ request. The center, on the lower level of Weiskotten Hall in room 0217, is still accepting donations from anyone who wishes to contribute.

In addition, the Upstate community can contribute online through the internal iPage portal. Look for the American Red Cross typhoon relief banner scrolling across the top of the page.

The typhoon, which struck the Philippines Nov. 8, killed thousands, left hundreds of thousands homeless and limited the ability of hospitals to function at capacity.

“Rest assured that the need is still great,” said graduate student Cherry Mae Ignacio, a native of the Philippines who worked with the President’s office to establish the internal donation portal.

“I have personally served in medical missions to remote areas of the Philippines,” Cherry said. “I know that in times of calm, many remote areas have little or no access to medical care, so I was not surprised when on Sunday the New York Times pointed out that there are still many small, remote villages that still have not received aid.”

Cherry Mae said a hospital ship is en route to the Philippines, and other aid is falling into place. “Good things are happening, but there’s a lot of work to be done,” she said.